Obama warns of 'judicial activism'

Tuesday

Apr 3, 2012 at 12:01 AMApr 3, 2012 at 10:58 AM

WASHINGTON- President Barack Obama took an opening shot at conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday, warning that a rejection of his health-care law would be an act of "judicial activism," which Republicans say they abhor.

WASHINGTON— President Barack Obama took an opening shot at conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday, warning that a rejection of his health-care law would be an act of “ judicial activism,” which Republicans say they abhor.

Obama, a Democrat, had not commented publicly on the Supreme Court’s deliberations since it heard arguments for and against the law last week.

The measure to expand health insurance for millions of Americans is considered Obama’s signature domestic-policy achievement. A rejection by the court would be a big blow to Obama going into the Nov. 6 presidential election.

Republican presidential candidates have promised to repeal the law if one of them wins the White House.

Obama’s advisers say they have not prepared contingency plans if the measure fails.

“Ultimately, I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,” Obama said at a news conference with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.

Conservative leaders say the law, which, once fully implemented, will require Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty, was an overreach by Obama and the Congress that passed it.

The president sought to turn that argument around, calling a potential rejection by the court an overreach of its own.

“And I’d just remind conservative commentators that, for years, what we have heard is, the biggest problem on the bench was judicial activism, or a lack of judicial restraint, that an unelected group of people would somehow overturn a duly constituted and passed law,” Obama said.

“Well, this is a good example.” The Supreme Court justices are expected to issue formal opinions on the subject by late June.